Control apparatus for centrifugal separators



July 3, 1928. 1,675,947

F. W. M ENTIRE CONTROL APPARATUS FOR CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATORS Filed Jan. 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

F/ l/QEZZZTe 64- T NEY.

July 3, 1928. 1,675,947

F. W. M ENTIRE CONTROL APPARATUS FOR CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATORS Filed Jan. 3, 1927 Sheets-Sheet 2 v July 3, 1928. 1,675,947 I F. w. MCENTIRE CONTROL APPARATUS FOR CENTRIFUQAL SEPARATORS Filed Jan. 5, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet AT ORNEY July 3, 1928. 1,675,947

F. W. MCENTIRE CONTROL APPARATUS FOR CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATORS Filed Jan. 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I Q V I N V EN TOR. X 5 9/9 By I v Patented July 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES FREDERICK W. MGENTIRE, 0F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

CONTROL APPARATUS FOR CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATORS.

Application filed January 3, 1927. Serial No. 158,767.

My invention relates broadly to sugar ma chinery and more particularly to an apparatus for selectively fixing the proportions of the syrups and wash liquors constituting the fillmass at the centrifugal station.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide means for automatically controlling and maintaining the desired purities of the syrups and wash liquors as they leave the centrifugal station in the process of sugar manufacture.

Another object of my invention is to provide a manually set and automatic trip mechanism for the regulation of the proportions of syrups and wash liquors derived from the operation of a centrifugal sugar separating machine.

A further object of my invention is to provide a construction of time actuated mechanism for controlling the position of a gate in the delivery pipe of a centrifugal sugar separator for diverting the syrup and wash liquors and proportioning the parts thereof as may be desired.

My invention is directed to an apparatus for automatically producing a separation between the syrups from the tillmass and the wash liquors in a centrifugal separator for sugar and thus maintain their natural purities, or a separation may automatically be made to give either of the liquids any predetermined purity desired within the range of their natural purities. For example, the syrup from white fillmass has a purity of approximately and wash liquor from the same fillmass has a purity of about 90%. It may readily be seen that to mix a quantity of the 80% purity syrup with that of the 90% purity wash liquor, a resultant liquid would be produced, the purity of which would depend upon the quantities used, and thus any desire purity in one or the other of the two liquors may be had by regulating the addition of the one into the other.

My invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following specification and the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic view of a centrifugal sugar separator and system of troughs for syrups and wash liquors embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a detailed view of the time controlling apparatus and automatic trip employed in my invention; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the manual and automatic control apparatus with parts broken away and shown in cross sectionto more clearly illustrate my invention; Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view through the latch mechanism taken on line 4t of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view of the latch and trip mechanism in its on treme position opposite to the position illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view on line 66 of Fig. 5; and Figs. 7-9 illustrate the parts of the time controlled actuating mechanism employed for automatically tripping the diverting mechanism. Fig. 10 is a view of bracket 29.

As a means for automatically producing and maintaining the desired purities or mixtures of liquid as produced in centrifuging sugar fillmass, I have developed the machine of the present invention. The mechanism operates to automatically switch a diverting pan or gate which is a common guideway for both the syrup and the wash liquor into one or the other of two adjacent receptacles. A common drain pipe from the centrifugal machine and a common diverting pan for both liquids may be used, because the fillmass in centrifuging is first purged of its syrup and then water is sprayed on the sugar crystals which remain inside the basket of the centrifugal machine thus washing off any syrup that has remained on the sugar crystals.

The machine consists of a diverting pan 1 which revolves about the shaft 2 which is actuated to divert the pan 1 from syrup trough 3 to wash liquor trough 4 by means of crank 5 and crank pin 6 and shifting rod 7.

The shifting rod 7 is actuated by means of tripper shaft 8 through eye bolt and pin coupling 9. The shaft 8 is in turn actuated by means of the operator when starting the centrifugal machine 10, by pulling the handle 11 up until the diverting pan 1 is in a position to drain the syrup from delivery trough 47 into syrup trough 3. The shaft 8 is held in this position by means of plunger 12 which is forced into slot 13 of the shaft 8 by means of spring 14, operating in plunger casing 15. The shaft remains in this position until released by the plunger 12 when the shaft is then actuated by means of a weight 16 which may be attached to the shaft 8 by means of cable 17 and clamp 18, the latter attached to the shaft 8 and the former guided over the sheave wheel 19, which in turn is supported by means of bracket 20 and pin 21. Plunger 12 is actuated by means of trigger 22 through flexible cord or chain 23 which is guided and protected by pipe 24. The chain 23 is attached to plunger 12 by means of eyelet 25 and to adjustable shaft 26 by means of a pin fitting in eyelet 27. Trigger 22 rotates about fulcrum pin 28 which is fastened and supported as indicated by bracket 29. Bracket 29 carries vertical guide members 30 and 31 in which the shaft 26 is longitudinally adjustable. Guide 32 serves to support the fiexible'casing 24, through which flexible chain 23 passes. Trigger 22 actuates adjustable' shaft 26 by means of pin 33 and mounted on housing 36 of the timing device of the water spraying machine for centrifugal sugar separator 10. Trigger 22 is actuated by timing device 36 through bracket 37 and adjustable bolt38 which are controlled by traveling nut 39 on rotatable screw 40.

The timing device as herein indicated, is a type in general use in centrifugal spraying machines. It consists of a threaded shaft 40 supported in bearings 41 and 42 and constantly propelled.

The traveling nut 39 becomes engaged with threaded shaft 40 simultaneously with the starting of the water spray and is carried forward engaging trigger 22 through the adjustable bolt 38.

It may readily be seen that by advancing or retarding adjustable bolt 38 engagement of trigger 22 and tripping of same may be accomplished anywhere within the length of the threaded shaft 40; in other words, pan 1 may be automatically reversed at any desired instant after thestart of the wash water within the rangeof the threaded shaft 40. Heretofore, the tripping of this pan has been by hand and the regulatory of it and the syrup purities have been factors devolving upon the activeness of the oper ator. With this device, the foreman of the centrifugal station may set the adjusting bolt 38 to operate at a point determined by the laboratory chemists.

The shaft 8 is supported in the brackets 43 and 44, both of which are attached to the centrifugal housing 10 through bolts 43 and 44". Groove 45 is a means of guide to hold this shaft 8 in position for slot 13 to receive plunger 12. A guide arrangement may be obtained by using a square shaft and square bearings in brackets 43 and Y44. The shaft may also be held in proper position through proper design of the union ofjoint 9 and rod 8. A hardened removablewearing plug 46 is used to take the wear caused by plunger 12.

' Both the slot 13 and the wearing plug 46 may be placed at the opposite end of groove 45 from that herein indicated should it be desirable to locate crank arm 5 180 from that indicated or should the drain troughs be located opposite to that indicated. This would require that clamp '18 be located on shaft 8 near union 9 and that cable 17 be run in opposite direction over sheave wheel 19. The operator would then push the handle downward until-plunger 12 takes its place in slot 13. While the device as presented herein as being'attached to the housing of a certain common type of spraying, machining and timing device, it may be attached in a similar way to all spraying machines which are equipped with a mechanical timing device, andit may also be attached to other forms of sprayer not time equipped by adding a simple timing device, which would cause trigger 22 to rotate about pin 28 or in some fashion cause the withdrawal of plunger 12 from slot 13 or cause the pan 1 to become automatically tripped from one trough to the other. I

I have illustrated my invention in one of its preferred embodiments. The arrangement described has been found to be very practical in operation, although I desire that it be understood that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of my invention and no limitations upon my invention are intended other than are imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

l. Ina sugar separating machine, the combination of a centrifugal separator, a discharge pipe, a pair of troughs for conveying syrups and wash liquors, a diverting pan positioned intermediate said discharge pipe and said troughs, an actuating rod connected to said diverting pan for moving said pan to one or the other of two extremepositions for selectively'directing the discharge into'one trough or the other of said troughs, a control rod for governing the position of said actuating rod, said control rod being mounted for reciprocal movement and having a groove throughout a portion of its length an obstructing pin spring pressed into said groove, a socket adjacent the end of said groove into which said pin is arranged to project for latching said control rod in its extreme upper position and time control mechanism for withdrawing said pin from said socket whereby said control rod operates to move said deflecting pan to its extreme opposite position.

2. In a sugar separating apparatus, a centrifugal separator, a discharge pipe connected with said separator, independent troughs for syrups and wash liquors, a deflecting pan for directing discharge from said pipe into one or the other of said troughs, an actuat ing rod for controlling the position of said deflecting pan, a control rod connected to said actuating rod, a frame for mounting said control rod for reciprocatory movement. a weight for normally holding said control rod in its lowermost position, a latching mechanism for securing said control rod in uppermost position after the manual setting thereoi and time actuating mechanism for releasing said latch mechanism after a predetermined time period for returning said control rod to its lowermost position and changing the position of said deflecting pan.

3. An attachment for sugar separating machines having independent troughs for syrups and Wash liquors comprising a diverting pan, a centrifugal separator, a discharge pipe leading to said troughs, a diverting pan between said discharge pipe and said troughs, said diverting pan being arranged to be moved to either of two limiting positions for directing discharge to either of said troughs, an actuating rod connected with said diverting pan, a slidably positioned control rod coupled to said actuating rod and arranged to be moved to either of two extreme positions, a weight for correspondingly moving said diverting pan, and normally holding said control rod in its extreme lowermost position, a spring pressed latch mechanism for securing said rod in its extreme uppermost position when mechanically set therein and time actuating mechanism for releasing said latch after a predetermined time period.

4-. Control mechanism for sugar machinery including a discharge pipe line, a pair of independent troughs tor syrups and Wash liquors, a diverting pan positioned between said discharge pipe and said troughs, a slidable rod member for controlling the position of said diverting pan, said slidable rod member being arranged for movement to either of two limiting positions, a weight for normally maintaining said rod member in its extreme lowermost position, a latch mechanism for normally maintaining said rod member in its extreme uppermost position, a time control mechanism, a lever arranged to be moved by said mechanism and a flexible connecting chain extending between said latch mechanism and said lever for releasing said latch mechanism at the expiration of a predetermined time interval for efiecting the movement of said diverting pan from one extreme position to the other.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

FREDERICK WV. MCENT'IRE. 

